1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a telephone device capable of sending messages by a transmission operation carried out by external device, and a communication unit comprising this kind of telephone device and external device. The present invention further relates to a method of communication where a telephone device sends messages based on transmission operation in the external device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a short distance wireless communication technology, called Bluetooth, has been developed and there are a large number of devices that utilize Bluetooth. Bluetooth is a technology where peripherals, such as a cellular phone, a terminal adapter, a personal computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), etc., located within a few meters apart from one another, can be wirelessly connected.
Features of Bluetooth are as follows. First, there is no need for a cable except a cable for a power source. Second, there is no directivity and no problem with the presence of shields. This differs from infrared data association (IrDA) where infrared rays are used, whereas radio waves are used in the Bluetooth. Third, communication within the distance of approximately 10 meters is possible. Fourth, a network can be configured without any electronic information devices represented by a personal computer that were once essential to construct the network. Besides, Bluetooth defines a profile to realize a number of applications. Some of the main applications are dial-up, object-push, headset, file transfer, etc.
The dial-up technology will be focused hereinafter. Until now, it has been necessary to connect a personal computer to a telephone circuit or a cellular phone via a cable in order to utilize the dial-up technology.
When the dial-up technology is applied using a wire-telephone circuit, a personal computer is connected to a modular jack via a cable and a message is sent from the personal computer. In this case, what is important is the location of the telephone circuit. The place where the computer can be installed depends on the location where the modular jacks connectable to any telephone circuit are disposed. That is, any area to which the cable may extend from the modular jacks will be the area where the computer can be installed.
When the dial-up technology is utilized using a wireless telephone such as a cellular phone or a personal handy-phone system (PHS), the computer is generally connected to a wireless telephone device by a modem card, a cable, etc. and a message is transmitted from the computer. In this case, the area where the computer can be installed is confined to the area from which the wireless telephone is available.
When a PHS is used, entering far into a building may sometimes result in unstable communication due to the attenuation of radio waves. In such a case, the PHS must be moved together with the computer to a position where radio waves are stable, e.g., next to a window.
Further, in a small area such as in a train, even if there is an only small enough space to spread the personal computer, the user should have placed a cellular phone within the range to which the cable can extend from the personal computer.
On the contrary, by connecting the personal computer to a cellular phone or a telephone circuit via Bluetooth, the area where the personal computer may be installed can be enlarged. For example, when a terminal adapter with built-in Bluetooth is connected to integrated service digital network (ISDN) circuit and also the personal computer corresponds to Bluetooth, the computer can be installed anywhere within the range to which a Bluetooth connection can be applied.
In the case where a cellular phone having built-in Bluetooth is used, a message can be sent from the computer picked up out of a bag while the cellular phone is put in the bag. Further, when you want to utilize the dial-up at the area where radio waves are weak, you can send a message from the computer placed in another room through the dial-up while a cellular phone or a PHS is positioned next to a window where radio reception is stable enough. When the dial-up is utilized using Bluetooth in such a manner, convenience is greatly enhanced compared to that in using the wire-telephone interface.
The general manner of utilizing the dial-up via Bluetooth will be described in the following according to the examples where used are the personal computer with built-in Bluetooth and a cellular phone with built-in Bluetooth.
The dial-up process using Bluetooth comprises two steps. A first step is connecting the personal computer to the cellular phone via Bluetooth, and a second step is processing the dial-up operation conventionally by the personal computer.
A general method of connecting the computer to the cellular phone device via the Bluetooth will be described as follows referring to the sequence chart in FIG. 1 in view of security problems.
First, the cellular phone device is set to an Inquiry Scan state (S501). Here, an Inquiry Scan state means a state ready to be inquired by a Bluetooth device, which is inquiring other Bluetooth devices.
Inquiry from the personal computer is processed for a predetermined time (S502). Here, Inquiry means a function through which one Bluetooth device can inquire if another Bluetooth device exists or not. The cellular phone responds to the personal computer when Inquiry from the personal computer is received (S503).
After Inquiry is finished, the operator of the personal computer selects a desired cellular phone device out of the Bluetooth device, which has been inquired and Paging is processed (S504). Here, Paging means a function through which call the particular device desired to be connected. The cellular phone having received Paging from the personal computer responds to the Paging (S505).
After responding the Paging, the cellular phone requires the user thereof to input a PIN code (S506). The PIN code may be a code consisting of a few figures or a row of characters. When the PIN code is inputted, the cellular phone presents KNIT calculated using the PIN code and a random number generated to the personal computer and requires the personal computer to authorize them (S507).
The computer having received the demand for authorization from the cellular phone also requires the user to input his PIN code (S508). At this time, the user must input the same row of characters as the row of the characters of the PIN code having been inputted into the cellular phone.
Once the PIN code is inputted, the personal computer calculates KINIT through the same manner as that of the cellular phone, and further computes using the calculated KNIT and the random numbers received together with the demand for authorization from the cellular phone. The personal computer sends the computed results back to the cellular phone (S509).
The cellular phone computes in the same manner as that of the personal computer using the KNIT, which has been calculated by itself and the random numbers, which has been sent to the personal computer. The cellular phone compares the computed results with the computed results, which have been received from the personal computer (S510).
When both the computed results are equal to each other, the cellular phone calculates a link key and sends the link key to the personal computer and at the same time keeps the link key (S511). The personal computer, which has received the link key, keeps the link key as well (S512).
Thereby, the Bluetooth connection between the personal computer and the cellular phone is completed (S513). The process up to the step of keeping the link key is referred to Pairing and a state keeping the link key is called a State with Bonding.
The above-mentioned procedure is that for a state without bonding between the personal computer and the cellular phone, usually this procedure is that for the case where both of them are connected for the first time.
Next, a procedure for a state with boding between the personal computer and the cellular phone will be described below referring to the sequence chart in FIG. 2.
The cellular phone is set to the Inquiry Scan state (S501). Then, Inquiry from the personal computer is processed for a predetermined time (S502). The cellular phone responds to the personal computer when Inquiry from the personal computer is received (S503).
After Inquiry is finished, the operator of the personal computer selects a desired cellular phone device out of the Bluetooth device, which has been inquired and Paging is processed (S504). When receiving Paging from the personal computer, the cellular phone responds to the Paging (S505). Up to this step the procedure is the same as that for the state without bonding.
Next, the cellular phone presents a random numbers to the personal computer and also demands for authorizing it (S601). The computer having received the demand for authorization from the cellular phone computes using the random numbers presented by the cellular phone and the link key kept therein, and sends the computed results to the cellular phone (S602).
The cellular phone computes in the same manner as that of the personal computer using the link key and the random numbers, which has been presented to the personal computer, and compares the computed results with the computed results, which have been received from the personal computer (S603). When both the computed results are equal to each other, the Bluetooth connection between the personal computer and the cellular phone is completed (S513).
When both of the two are in a state with bonding, the necessary operation for the cellular phone is only setting the cellular phone to the Inquiry Scan state. However, for the cellular phone, which can be set to the Inquiry Scan state at all times, even the operations above are not necessary.
A sequence chart for the operations of the dial-up after the completion of the Bluetooth connection is shown in FIG. 3.
After the Bluetooth connection is completed, the dial-up operation can be processed in the same manner as that in the case where the computer is connected to the cellular phone with a cable. Starting a soft ware for the dial-up, appointing the telephone number of a party to which the dial-up is setting, processing the operation of sending a message (S301), the cellular phone will send the message at once (S306). In this process, no operation will be done for the cellular phone.
The period of keeping the bonding (link key) is different depending upon the type of devices. For example, there are a device where no bonding is done (namely, no keeping the link key), a device where the bonding is kept for a predetermined period (namely, keeping the link key) and a device keeping the bonding for an indefinite period. There are some devices where the mode is already set to one of the above states and also some devices where the user may choose the mode. Generally, the bonding can be eliminated manually.
As mentioned above, once the Bluetooth connection is completed between the personal computer and the cellular phone and the bonding is done, the dial-up can be completed without any operation on the cellular phone.
Usually, the equipment held by the user is connected to the cellular phone of the user himself. Considering this point, it is very convenient that the dial-up can be processed without the input of the PIN code at connection by keeping the bonding for an indefinite period.
No dial-up operation can be done without a user""s operation in such cases where no Bluetooth connection has ever been established between a personal computer and a cellular phone, or where a user has set his cellular phone to the mode of no bonding.
However, in the case where a Bluetooth connection between a personal computer and a cellular phone is established by any causes and the personal computer is turned bonded to the cellular phone, transmission can be done without passing through the cellular phone. Therefore, there is possibility of completing a dial-up operation without the awareness of a user.
A function called dial lock for confining transmission is known as one function of a cellular phone. The dial lock function is such a function that the operation except responding to a received message can generally be processed only when a user inputs a predetermined personal identification number into the cellular phone. Once the dial lock function is set, the cellular phone cannot send a message via the transmission operation and any dial-up operation using a Bluetooth cannot be processed. However the dial lock function is very inconvenient for the ordinary transmission of a message, because the dial lock function must be unlocked at each transmission by inputting a personal identification number.
With regard to sending a message by the operation of an ordinary cellular phone, there is no chance that any message can be transmitted without the awareness of the user as far as the cellular phone itself is well managed. However, in regard to the cellular phone having a dial-up function with the Bluetooth, there is possibility of sending a message without the awareness of the user in spite of careful managing the cellular phone itself if only the conditions are satisfied as mentioned above.
Although the explanation has been described until now employing a cellular phone as an example, the problems are not limited to the cellular phone but also common to all kinds of telephone devices regardless of type, wire or wireless.
The present invention has been accomplished to solve the above-described problems experienced by the related art. Thus, an aspect of the present invention is to provide a telephone device that sending any messages from an external device is prevented while the user of the cellular phone is not aware of the fact, in a cellular phone device or other telephone devices connected to the external device and capable of sending a message via the external device.
Also, a second aspect of the present invention is to provide a communication unit that sending any messages from an external device is prevented while the user of the cellular phone is not aware of the fact, the unit comprising an external device and a telephone device capable of sending a message via the external device.
Further, a third aspect of the present invention is to provide a control method of communication where sending a message from a telephone device is executed via an external device and sending any messages from an external device is prevented while the user of the cellular phone is not aware of the fact.
To solve the above-mentioned problem, a telephone device of the present invention, which is connected with external device, comprises a judging means for judging whether the external device demands to send a message. The telephone device further comprises a controlling means for controlling the sending of the message if a predetermined condition is satisfied when the external device demands to send the message. The telephone device further comprises a storing means for storing first personal data, a receiving means for receiving second personal data from the external device and a comparing means for comparing the first personal data and the second personal data. The predetermined condition is that the first personal data is equal to the second personal data. The first personal data and the second personal data are personal identification numbers, respectively. The telephone device is connected with the external device via Bluetooth. The telephone device may be a cellular phone.
A communication unit of the present invention comprises external device and a telephone device. The external device comprises an outputting means for outputting demands to send a message. The telephone device comprises a judging means for judging whether the external device demands to send the message, and a controlling means for controlling the sending of the message if a predetermined condition is satisfied when the external device demands to send the message. The telephone device further comprises a storing means for storing first personal data, a receiving means for receiving second personal data from the external device and a comparing means for comparing the first personal data and the second personal data. The predetermined condition is that the first personal data is equal to the second personal data. The first personal data and the second personal data are personal identification numbers respectively. The telephone device is connected with the external device via Bluetooth. The telephone device may be a cellular phone, and the external device may be a computer.
A method of the present invention for controlling to send a message from a telephone device comprises connecting between the telephone device and external device, and receiving a demand for sending the message from the external device. The method further comprises requiring the external device to send first personal data to the telephone device, comparing the first personal data sent from the external device with a predetermined second personal data and sending the message when both the personal data correspond to each other. The method further comprises storing the predetermined second personal data in the telephone device. The method further comprises counting the time since requiring the external device to send first personal data to the telephone device and canceling the sending of the message when a predetermined time has elapsed. The first personal data and the predetermined second personal data are personal identification numbers respectively. The telephone device is connected with the external device via Bluetooth. The telephone device may be a cellular phone and the external device may be a computer.
A telephone device of the present invention that is connected with external device comprises a judging circuit that judges whether the external device demands to send a message. The telephone device further comprises a controller that controls the sending the message if a predetermined condition is satisfied when the external device demands to send the message. The telephone further comprises a memory that stores first personal data, a receiver that receives second personal data from the external device and a comparator that compares the first personal data and the second personal data. The predetermined condition is that the first personal data is equal to the second personal data. The first personal data and the second personal data are personal identification numbers respectively. The telephone device is connected with the external device via Bluetooth. The telephone device may be a cellular phone.
A communication unit of the present invention comprises external device and a telephone device. The external device comprises an output circuit that outputs demands to send a message. The telephone device comprises a judging circuit that judges whether the external device demands the sending of the message and controller that controls the sending of the message if a predetermined condition is satisfied when the external device demands to send the message. The telephone device further comprises a memory that stores first personal data, a receiver that receives second personal data from the external device and a comparator that compares the first personal data and the second personal data. The predetermined condition is that the first personal data is equal to the second personal data. The first personal data and the second personal data are personal identification numbers, respectively. The telephone device is connected with the external device via Bluetooth. The telephone device may be a cellular phone, and the external device may be a computer.
According to the present invention, when a demand for sending a message occurs, a telephone device decides whether the demand occurs from the external device or from the telephone device itself. Only when the demand for sending the message is that from the external device does the telephone device compare the personal identification number sent from the external device with the predetermined personal identification number. When both the personal identification numbers correspond to each other, the message is sent. In this manner, unauthorized transmission from the external device can be prevented.